Alla Prima Portrait Sketch with a Limited Palette

Dominique Medici is a NYC-based artist specializing in both Egg tempera and Oil painting. Primarily a portrait and figure painter, she studied in London and has exhibited internationally, including Art in Action, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Christie’s Young Artist Exhibition. She was a semi-finalist in the 2016 BP Portrait Prize, 2006 Outwin Boochevor Portrait Completion and recently received an honorable mention in the 2014 Portrait Society of America members show and honorable mention for portraiture during Oil Painters of America’s 24th Annual National Juried Show and the Margaret Dole Award at the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 118th Annual Exhibition. Dominique has undertaken numerous international portrait commissions and her work in displayed in many private collections throughout Europe and the US. Dominique has a passion for teaching and has taught extensively both privately and publicly.

Gaining the ability to work quickly, and with precision, is key in your development as a painter. The most efficient way to develop your observation and intuition is to practice with short poses. The time restraint forces you to forego detail, see the big picture, and focus on gesture and large masses. This is the secret behind all great works. In this class, we will work with a systematic and disciplined technique that is designed to achieve this aim. I will provide frequent demos, breaking down the process of painting into clear and consecutive steps, as well as critique and instruction each session. Since simplicity is one of our goals, we will be using a limited palette of only 6 colors; Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light, Quinacridone Red, Cadmium Red Light, Cobalt Teal and Blue-Black (W&N). This dynamic palette helps us understand color relationships. We will focus on 4 main aspects of a portrait: Proportion, Value, Color, and Edge and aim to capture a likeness within a limited time frame. Practicing this way will sharpens your observation, and take your skill to a new level.